Soft floor

[Leggs801]

Need some advice new to the forum but not boating. I have a 1986 century 4000cc with a soft floor all the wood around the fuel tank is rotten also. My question is its on a roller trailer and how do I go about supporting the hull when cutting out the floor and replacing stringers if need be

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would build a cradle in place on the trailer myself.

 

[89 resorter]

^^^I agree the hull will need better support than a roller trailer can provide. You don't necessarily need to remove the boat from the trailer though ..... I kept my century on the trailer and used the trailer and the floor of my shop to hold 2 x 4 supports along the length of the hull.

 

[Leggs801]

i will take some pictures and post them on here of my hull and roller location to the hull

 

[gm280]

:welcome: aboard Leggs801. Nice to have you join us...

Some folks built a separate cradle instead of using their trailer, and here is why. If you are doing a long refurb job on the hull, you may also want to go over the trailer at the same time. And if you can build a cradle to support the hull, then you can work on the trailer while waiting for parts and material to come in. Lots of folks go that route. However, it is all your choice. There are a lot of cradles fashion on these forums. But anything that supports the hull and sides is what you need. And the reason for that is, if you have to remove the top cap, the hull can splay out of position and the cap would never fit back on again. For that reason take tons of pictures and measurements before doing anything on the project. Understand you are not alone with such a project. These forums are full of them. JMHO

 

[Vintage Rider]

You should type the word century into the search (box, function, whatever it's called.) Look for 2 boats in MI's thread. He's redoing a Century 4000, at least he was this spring, haven't seen anything from him lately. Reason I know this is because I also have a 4000 that will need some attention when I get done with my Starcraft. Post lots of pictures so I can see what I'll be getting into.

 

[Woodonglass]

It's never a good idea to rebuild a boat while it's on a Roller Trailer. Too many pressure points on an unsupported hull. Build a Cradle as others have stated.:nod:

Here's an example of one of our members cradle...

and another one...

 

[Leggs801]

I will look into building some kind of cradle system so I can also replace the rubber rollers on my trailer. my only issue is finding level ground for the cradle

 

[gm280]

I good idea for your cradle is to take some measurement while it is on the trailer. Build a simple base of your cradle with some coasters or wheels to allow movement. Then take measurements from the floor to the boat hull as it sits now on the trailer. You can even subtract some to allow the boat to sit lower to make it easier to get in and out. Then make each support from the measurements you take and when you get them all finished, you have a duplicate of how your boat presently sits. The more supports the better. Also make sure you add it some side supports too. What you are trying to do is make the cradle so that when the boat is put into it, it doesn't allow any movement to get out of shape. Sounds hard then it actually is. JMHO